Trolley catcher and retainer



No. "619,3!6. Patented Feb. 14, I899.

w. 8. KING. TBOL LEY GATGHER AND RETAINER.

(Application filed Nov. 28, 1897.)

(No Modal.)

-FlG-11- -FIG- n1- WITNESSES /N VENTOH A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM B. KING, OF IVILLOUGHBY, OHIO.

TRO LLEY CATCHER AND RETAINER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,316, dated February 14, 1899. Application filed November 26, 1897- Serial No. 659,827. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM B. KING, of Willoughby, Lake county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley Catchers and Retainers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to trolley-catchers or devices adapted to catch the trolley as it is projected downward by the cross or brace wires or strands which support the feed-wire in an electric railway after having left the said feed-wire or trolley-wire.

My invention consists in providing a retaining device or catcher so secured and located as to be at all times in such position in relation to the trolley-pole as to prevent its return to the trolley-wire after said trolley-pole has been projected downward to such an extent that its return would injure either the trolleywire, the cross-wires, or the car, and thus hold said trolley-pole regardless of the relation of said trolley-pole to the top of the car.

In the drawings, Figure I is a view in side elevation of a portion of the upper part of a car with trolley-pole and turn-table attached, showing also a device constructed according to my invention secured to the turn-table in proper relative position to the trolley-pole. Figs. II and III are detached views of catchers constructed according to my invention, showing the same in front elevation. Fig. IV is a view in side elevation of a catcher constructed according to my invention, illustrating my preferred method of securing a spring so as to operate the catching-levers.

A represents the top of the car, to which is attached a reinforcing-piece B. The rein forcing-piece B may be of any preferred con struction so as to properly support a base 0. As illustrated in the drawings, the base 0 is provided with a turn-table D, which supports the trolley-pole E. The turn-table D is preferably provided with suitable devices, such as springs cl cl, for causing the trolley E to forcibly engage the trolley-wire at its upper end, and thus make a perfectly-movable contact with said trolley-wire. The turn-table D is provided for the purpose of allowing the trolley-pole to swing from one side to the other of the car in making a turn or in switching a car from one track to the other, and in some cases is also provided so that the trolley-pole may be reversed from one end of the car to the other end. The. so-called turn-table device and also the tension device, illustrated by the spring cl d, may be of any suitable and operative construction that will cause the trolley-pole at its upper end to engage the trolley-wire or feed-wire forcibly or so as to make a good contact and at the same time allow of the trolley-pole swinging from one side to the other of the car, and inasmuch as the constructions of these several parts are varied and inasmuch as my invention is, broadly considered, adapted to operate in connection with any of these constructions I do not wish to be limited to its application to any particular construction of turn-table or trolley-supporting device or trolley.

It is a well-known fact that in cases where the trolley slips from the trolley-wire the tension device attached to the trolley projects it upward with great force, and if the car is running at any speed the trolley-pole will engage or strike the trolley-wire-supporting strand and in some cases will strike quite a number of them before the car can be stopped or before it is stopped, owing to the fact either that the car is running at great speed or that the trolley has slipped the trolley-wire without the knowledge of either the motorman or conductor. Now as the trolley-pole comes in contact with these cross-strands or supporting-wires it strikes them with great force, according to the speed of the vehicle or car. This in turn projects the trolley-p0le downward with great force and in some cases with such force as to break the roof of the car or to injure the trolley-pole, and more especially is this the case where the trolley-pole engages several of the supporting-strands and force is accumulated according to the number of the strands the trolley strikes, and it is in order to obviate this objectionable feature that I have provided a catching device which retains the trolley-pole after it has once been projected downward by engaging any obstacle in its path.

I will now proceed to describe the construction and operation of the catcher as it is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

table and being secured on said pipe H by means of a set-screw g..

In the case of a device constructed as illustrated in Fig. II, I provide two pivoted levers I J, which are so located on the vertical arms;

of the frame F as to project inward and downward, each lever I and J preferably extendinghalf-vi ray across the space between the,

,a rms ofthe frame F. IJ' represent twoverticalarrns, which are preferably formed intelgralwiththe ,levers I andJ These arms I: J ',.are engaged by a spring I: in such a man-,1

,neraS t9 keep the levers 1 J normally in'the;

gp'osition illustratedin the drawings, but at the same tirne allow thesaid lever to open and; rec ve e tr y-P d aft h,e' r01 ey-;

polehas'entered the leversI and J will retain the trolley-pole within the catcher, inasmuch as it is impossible for the levers I andJ to; op n upwa on co f hea m 7 d J. engaging the sides of the vertical arms of the? frame F, I. il u a i .1 t rawin t e eh 'rj P e w n summary arm I which is preferably formed inte 3:ra l with one ofthe vertical arms ofthe frame F,

the other arm J ,being movable andconstructed similar to vthe arms or levers iillustrated'in FigflII, with this exception, thatinstead of using a spring ,to operate the lever J to a closediposition the weight of the arm .J f is depended upon to perform this function. 'I' have also shown in this figure a, means for.

releasing. "the trolley-pole from the catcher after the car has been stopped, and this consists in a, suitablerope or cable M, secured at one end to the armJ, asillustrated in Fig.

III, the said rope or cablejpassing over a pulley a or sheave m, preferably-secured to. the frame F, the rope or cable'passing from thence over the top of the car to a position to be reached by the operator when it is desired to replace the trolley in engagement with the ol y-Wif construction as best adapted for the object to be attained in connection with the peculiar construction of trolleygand stands illustrated, Idonotwish to be confined, as I have hereinb'efore stated, to. this particular con-i struction of catchers, inasmuch as modificati'on'maybe made without departing from my invention. I n

The gist of my invention consists in so securing and locating the catcher in relation to the trolley-pole that itwillbein a. position at all times to receive said trolley-pole as it is projected or forced downward.

What I claim is- 1. A trolley-pole-catching device comprising a base or stand to which it is connected; means secured to said base or stand, compris- 1 ing a retaining device, said retaining device moving with said base or stand and provided with means for catching and inclosing the trolley-pole when the same is downwardly projecteifiubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a trolley-pole and its operating and sustaining stand or base; of a catching andretaining device secured .to saidbase or. stand directly beneath the trolleyepole, said retaining device adapted to embrace and hold the trolley-pole and move with the base or stand. in a horizontal direction, substantiallyas'and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a trolley-"pole, of

anautomatically-operated receiving and retaining device located beneath said pole and in position to receiveit as itisprojected downwar said at h n e dr nin d i e rr vided with spring-operated levers ;opening downward, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

4:. I A catching and retainingdevice for trolley-poles of electric cars locate d beneath and in a vertical line with the trolley-pole, and

provided with automaticallyeoperated retaining-levers whereby whenthe trolley is received by the catchers it is retained until said rated torelease it. I V r r 5. In a trolley-catcher, the combination with a frame open at its upper end, of one or more pivoted leversopenin g downward to receive the trolley and automatically, closing upward to retain said trolley afterit has been received, substantially as and for the purpose .re'taininglevers have been opened or sepashown anddescribed.

' 1 r 6. In a trolley catcher or retainer, the eombination witha framework open at its upper end and provided with automatically-workingpivoted levers opening downward toreceive the trolley and automatically closing n v n I i r I upward to retainit, of a rope or cable secured hile Ihaveshown and deS ribed the above a to one of said levers whereby the catcher may be opened and the trolley released, substantially asset forth. n n I I Intestirnony whereof I sign this specification, in the presence of'two witnesses,tl1is 13th day of November, 1897. j

-WILLIAM B. KING. Witnesses:

W, E. DONNELLY, ELLA E. TILDEN. 

